There have been a lot of positive reviews for this film, but I suspect that these are from people who aren't that familiar with classic sci-fi. My impression of 'Sunshine' was that it is devoid of new ideas and just cherry picks from other much superior films from the past 40 years. Take a pinch of '2001,' chuck in a bit of 'Alien' and a drop of 'Event Horizon' and then simmer with assorted bits and pieces from a dozen other films and you get this mess. It would be bearable if the film knew its place. but it has pretensions way beyond what it delivers. Boyle did pretty much the same thing with '28 Days Later' and (sort of) got away with it because that film was low-budget and low-pretension and quite fun, whereas 'Sunshine' strives for an epic quality that ends up as meaningless drivel. The switch from sci-fi adventure to 'horror-in-space' two-thirds of the way through is particularly jarring and seemed to be pandering to the popcorn brigade.
Two marks for special effects, but sfx do not a great film make. Overall a disappointment, but not a surprise.
Two marks for special effects, but sfx do not a great film make. Overall a disappointment, but not a surprise.